Bucs' early bye week well-timed, Greg Schiano says

Bucs coach Greg Schiano cut his players loose today for their bye-week breaks, and the locker room was practically empty a mere half-hour after practice.

But even as players dispersed to visit friends and family or simply lay on their couches, Schiano and his coaches have more work to do.

At the core of their mission this week, taking a look in the mirror. What have the Bucs done well in their four games to date? Where have they come up short?

It’s a time to take stock in a more comprehensive way and apply those lessons to the remaining 12 games.

“There are good things that get lost when you lose, just like there are bad things that get lost when you win,” Schiano said. “As the head coach, it’s my job to make sure it doesn’t happen at any kind of substantial level.”

The self-scouting, as Schiano calls it, involves looking for trends. Rather than looking simply at their most recent game in its totality, coaches might, for example, examine similar plays from all their games and find the common flaws.

“We can do that any time we like, but there’s time constraints,” Schiano said, citing the need to game plan for weekly opponents. “So, generally you’re looking at . . . plays from the game you just played and moving forward to the next opponent. It’s been a really good exercise and one that we’re going to do again. . . Every quarter, as you examine your books as a business, you examine your production as a team. It’s a good idea.”

As for the timing of the bye, which comes rather early, Schiano said he thinks it’s favorable for his club. After a demanding training camp and even some punishing regular-season practices, Schiano felt his team was in need of a break.

“This group has gone incredibly hard since July 26 until now,” he said. “That sounds like a long time ago. They’ve busted their humps.”

But what about the daunting stretch of 12 consecutive games to come?

“It all depends on how healthy you stay,” Schiano said. “If you get on a roll and get going, it’s great. I don’t make the schedule. As hard as we’ve worked, I’m not sorry. Maybe in Week 10 I’ll say I wish we had (a bye) then. Now, I’m glad these guys get an opportunity to get a rest.”

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